Body of Lies

Body of Lies: Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe in a Ridley Scott movie....this has some promise. Promise yes, but in actuality they made a very mediocre film. DiCaprio plays Roger Ferris, a CIA agent searching for terrorists in Jordan. Crowe plays Ed Hoffman the man in charge of the operation back in the states. Their ways of getting things done are quite different and that almost leads to Ferris’ death more than a couple of times. Do they trust Jordan’s security agency or are they plotting against the Americans as well? It all comes across as something we have seen before and seen done better. The ending leaves you guessing and did build up some mild suspense. I faintly recommend…

"Pick it up"

Queue Rating {1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10}

Wanted

Wanted: Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy, and Morgan Freeman star in this high octane action flick. This movie is based on a comic book and parallels the film The Matrix a great deal. Wesley is your everyday account manger who is sick of his job. Then one day he finds out he is actually the son of a great assassin who is a member of the secret order "The Fraternity”. The Fraternity is a band of assassins that cleanse society by killing evil doers after receiving their names from a mysterious “Loom of Fate”. The comic book element of the story is that while the characters are not superheroes, they can utilize adrenaline to pull off amazing feats. They also have the ability to bend bullets to go around objects and then bend them back to their targets. The action in the movie is constant, electrifying, and just plain fun. The movie also has a strong enough story to keep you interested throughout. Wanted does not try to be too serious and that helps you accept some of the more implausible events and the overall concept. This is one “popcorn movie” done right!!!

“Pick it Up”

Queue Rating {1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10}

Rambo

Rambo: On the heels of the successful Rocky revival, Sylvester Stallone tries to do it again – this time with the Green Beret John J. Rambo. The story picks up with Rambo working on a river in Thailand, obviously wanting to be left alone. A group of missionaries looking to get into war-torn Burma ask Rambo if he would be kind enough to drive them there on his riverboat. John Rambo, being a softie, caves when the pretty girl missionary asks him nicely. Once in Burma the missionaries are captured (shocker) and only Rambo can save them (bigger shocker). The film is short (85 min) and to the point, with an onslaught of action and violence. I did not like that the action focuses on big groups of people being gunned down at one time. I would much rather have seen Rambo use his Green Beret instincts to make calculated and precise kills. The movie felt like it was thrown together in a week’s time for the sole purpose of making a little coin for John J.

“Kick it to the Floor”

Queue Rating { 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 }

I am Legend DVD

I am Legend: Will Smith stars as the last man on earth. The premise sounds intriguing, so intriguing that this is actually the 3rd film adaptation of the Richard Matheson novel (The Last Man on Earth). Unfortunately the filmmakers did not know what they wanted to do with this latest spin on the story. I felt they tried to fiddle with too many different genres. They should have either focused on making an interesting sci-fi story or fully cop-out and make a scary zombie movie. Instead they dibbled around in both and tried to layer it with an inspiring message – the result was a bit boring. I sat there waiting for the film’s “big moment”…..I was still waiting for that moment as the credits rolled 1 hour and 40 minutes later. The movie had the production value to be very good, but missed its mark!

“Kick it to the Floor”

Queue Rating Top { 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 } Bottom

The Kingdom DVD Review

The Kingdom: The opening sequences of The Kingdom bring enough action and intrigue to draw in even viewers with only “TV attention spans”. Terrorists bomb a Western housing complex located in Saudi Arabia, killing many innocent Americans. The FBI then makes a secret deal with Saudi officials to bring in an elite team to investigate the crime. However once in Saudi Arabia the FBI realizes that Saudi authorities are unwelcoming and see no reason for the American team to even be there. The 4 person FBI team sent over is played by a motley group of actors. We have Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper and Jason Bateman. Believe it or not, they actually work perfectly together. The story resides more in the action genre than the drama, though the ending tries hard to make a serious statement. I enjoyed this rental and I think most will do the same.

“Pick it Up”

Queue Rating Top { 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 } Bottom

Live Free or Die Hard

Live Free or Die Hard: What the hell does that title mean? Are those my only choices? Speaking of choices, I made a bad one when I picked this title up. After hearing some good things I was actually excited to give it a spin. I found the latest John McClane adventure to be ridiculous. A computer hacker breaks into the US system causing corruption on every level. He starts with the transportation system, producing traffic jams in every corner of the DC area…..well except for where he is driving his computer filled semi truck – convenient. The action, which the series is known for, is just over-the-top. At one point Bruce Willis is on the wing of a fighter jet as it circles down to a fiery crash. Another big sequence sees Willis hop out of a speeding car with excellent alignment. The car stays straight as an arrow for another 300 feet – finally driving up a ramp and crashing into a helicopter in mid-air. I waited 2 hours to hear the damn “Yippie-kay-yay” line and even that was a letdown.

“Kick it to the Floor”

Queue Rating { 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 }

Eastern Promises DVD

Eastern Promises: Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts star in this film that plunges into the world of the Russian mafia. Viggo plays a butler working for a notorious mob family in London. Watts meanwhile plays Anna, a midwife who delivers a baby from an unknown teenage girl who dies while giving birth. The baby, along with a diary the girl left behind thrusts Anna into the dark world of organized crime. The film’s plot opens up slowly, revealing new twists and deeper discoveries. The style in which the story is told is similar to that of History of Violence which was done by the same director. Like History I felt this movie was good, but had the potential to be great. A heads up on the old man playing the crime boss…..he is a mumbler. For a rental – this is definitely worth a spin

“Pick it Up”

Queue Rating: { 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 }

Transformers DVD

Transformers: This is the most fun I have had with a movie that I am giving a rating of - “Kick it on the floor”. The film did a lot right, such as casting Shia Labeouf – he saves the movie early on with his clumsy humor. Also the plot of the movie is probably as good as it could be considering we are talking about machines transforming into robots. The special effects and sounds of the “transforming” are extremely dazzling as well. All that said the film runs about 30 minutes too long. The action scenes are overwhelming in that is difficult to really now what is going on other than seeing lots of explosions and hearing cool sounds. Not to mention too many of the “over-the-top Michael Bay moments” that just made the movie silly. If you were a “transformers kid” you might enjoy – but for the rest….. “Kick it on the Floor”

Queue rating: Top of Queue {1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10} bottom of Queue